Lady d’Lyre’s face went a sickly shade of white. “But that will cripple our economy!”
“The Royal Commonwealth and the Urgan Despotate have been crippled by war while you sat safely behind them and picked their pockets. It’s only fair you share in their misery. Which reminds me, the Federation currently occupies several Urgan star systems, in the Valdotian sector? You shall return those to the Despotate forthwith.”
“What about the worlds you have taken from the Federation?” Lady d’Lyre asked.
“Those star systems are now mine to do with as I see fit. You would do well not to protest, lest I see fit to alter the terms of this new deal,” Astrid growled. “Now, if everyone here willagree to these terms, I see no reason why we should remain awake. I shall meet you tomorrow to finalize the details of the peace agreement.”
The Emperor held her goblet out, and Ingvar carried it off. Then she extended her hand to me, and I took it, helping her pull herself upright. She wobbled, her pierced leg too weak to hold her. I wrapped her arm lovingly around my shoulder and stood firm, taking as much weight as I could. Slowly, carefully, and in a stately manner, we walked from the Great Hall, and as soon as we were out of sight, Astrid collapsed. Immediately, she was surrounded by healers.
Before they could take her away, Astrid met my gaze. “Well? Think they’ll accept it?”
“Of course they will. You were brilliant, darling. I cannot wait to see what you do with your next hundred years as Emperor,” I said, pride swelling my chest.
“You’re too kind,” Astrid breathed. “Stay with me tonight?”
“Of course,” I said, and I followed the healers as they bustled Astrid to the infirmary, keeping my love within my sight at all times.
THE SHADOWY ROAD
THE NEGOTIATIONS WEREnot completed the next day. The Great Hall was in no shape to hold an official peace conference, and the dead needed to be addressed. While no more than two thousand combatants participated in the entire coup and countercoup, the final fighting had been extraordinarily bloody. Many dissidents had fought to the end, and no quarter had either been given or asked for by any side. Between the turncoats and the internecine fighting, the Imperial Guard lost three-quarters of its number, and many survivors had lost limbs. The Yezhidians were decimated in the assault, and the Stelsylvanians had lost several of their small cohort. Two score Commonwealth delegates perished in the final fight for the Great Hall, and the Urgan lords commander were nearly wiped out by the time the last blade was lowered. Of all the groups who had attended the jubilee, only the Federation forces remained relatively unscathed, and everyone else gave them notice that their lack of sacrifice was not appreciated. The Federation guards and delegates wereall disarmed, and an uneasy silence fell whenever one of their number entered a room.
Astrid slept for ten hours while the healers plied their trade. By the time she awoke, Astrid could walk with the assistance of a cane. Her arm was mostly healed but still required a sling. Nevertheless, the Emperor cleaned herself, donned a fresh courtly dress and crown, and set about restoring the Crystal Palace. The dead were catalogued and the corpses dispositioned. The Allies sent most of the bodies home through portals, while the Imperial corpses were incinerated. I watched the smoke rise, thinking of how many new lords and ladies there were across the quadrant. Did they appreciate their new titles, or would they have preferred their relatives returned home alive?
I couldn’t put too much thought towards those unknown inheritors. I had my own dead to deal with.
Tilly’s body was pulled from the pool and brought to the Crystal Palace’s repair bay. My initial inspection was inconclusive. Tilly’s damage was severe, but her chassis was mainly intact. Nevertheless, I couldn’t tell if she survived. Worse, I didn’t know how to find out. If I made a mistake reactivating Tilly, or even connecting her to a power source, I could short out her PCU and melt her hard drive, killing her when she would have otherwise survived. I was a decent mechanic, but my capabilities lay in fixing hardware, not salvaging grievously wounded SI processors. In addition, Tilly’s upgraded hardware was considerably more intricate than the overdesigned standard-issue military metal I had grown used to over the years. I needed an expert mechanic, a Royal Guards mechanic familiar with this machinery, to save her.
So after the Commonwealth dead were tallied, tagged, wrapped in flags and sent home, I presented myself to Prince Aureli, Duke of Lynwyzc, and his aid, Colonel Tikuma Boleslaw.
The prince waited an exceedingly long while as I kneltbefore him, asking him to hear my plea, before saying, “Sky Captain Boylan, whatever shall we do with you?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I replied.
“I’m not certain how to treat you, as I do not know what you are to me. Are you a sky captain of the Royal Cavalry, or are you the Emperor’s Consort?” the prince asked.
“I see no reason I cannot be both. The titles are not exclusive, and with the cessation of hostilities, there is no longer a conflict of interest,” I said.
“Oh, but they are exclusive,” the prince said.
“How so?” I asked.
“As Emperor’s Consort, you are a foreign noble of high rank, outside our reach and beyond our reproach. As a Commonwealth officer, you are a convict, set to appear before a court-martial to determine your guilt or innocence.”
I gaped. “Your Highness, how can I still be accused of treason? Have not my actions these last few days proven my loyalty to the Commonwealth?”
“They have proven your loyalty to the Emperor whose throne you restored, certainly,” the prince began, but Boleslaw coughed significantly behind him, and Prince Aureli’s face softened slightly. “The fact remains that charges have been leveled and recorded, and we are a nation of laws.” Boleslaw coughed again, more insistently this time, and the prince took on an aggravated appearance. “However, considering your service to the Royal Commonwealth in acquiring an armistice so beneficial to our priorities, the Queen has given me permission to dismiss all charges prematurely, in recognition of your deeds. I don’t know if you deserve it, but I am willing to wipe the slate clean in this matter…”
“I am glad to hear it, my prince. When can I expect a technician to see to Tilly’s reconstruction?” I asked, relief filling my heart.
“I wasn’t finished,” the prince said harshly. “You shall be absolved of all wrongdoing once you return to the capital and swear an oath of loyalty before Queen and Parliament, declare your devotion to the Commonwealth, and refute any claims to all titles you acquired during this negotiation.”
My breath caught in my throat. He wanted me to give up my position as Consort. He wanted me to leave Astrid.
“And if I take the oath but refuse to forsake my title?” I asked.
“They are one and the same,” the prince insisted.
“And yet…” I replied, letting the unfinished end of my sentence hang in the air.
